This was and always has been a great race. Well organized, great support, and a challenging course. You can easily blow up if you go out too fast on the downhills. I BQed here this year!

Steamtown is the same year after year.

Everyone associated with the race (organizers, volunteers and spectators) does an outstanding job of making everything enjoyable for the runners. They are some of the nicest people that I have ever met. I definitely got my money's worth, and I look forward to returning for the eighth time in 2010.

This race was awesome. It is a very fast course in the first half. The second half is not bad at all. The last 10K are where the hills come in. It was so good. It was only my second marathon, but it was awesome. Great organization. I PR'd by 57 minutes.

It was everything I thought it would be and more - the start from the heated gym, the flat course, the very supportive fans and the minor hills at the end. I train on hills, so the hills at the end did not bother me. The final hill is wonderful because you can see the finish line from there and it is all downhill. The only negative comment I have has to do with the shower facilities. Only three showers for the men? What were they thinking?

I got my PR here by six minutes and would like to come back and try for my BQ.

Great job, Steamtown!!

This race was so well organized. It had the perfect mix of trails and roads on the course. The community support is amazing! They make you feel like a super star! Thank you volunteers and students from nearby schools!! The course itself needs to be run at a consistent pace and it will give you the reward of a fast time. People that ran out too fast on the downhills were the ones that were hurting at the end. The race expo even had a session on how to run the course - it was very helpful. I would recommend this race to any marathon runner. It was highly organized - the pre-race emails had me laughing. :) I will come back again!!! Nice job, organizers!

This was my 96th marathon and I have been wanting to do this one for years. Just the right size and so many personal touches! The staff and people of NE Pennsylvania do an outstanding job and you will never feel more welcome at an event. I have to figure out a way to get back here every year.

This was my fifth marathon, and it was my favorite (by far). It is the perfect size - around 2K runners. I've run large races (Chicago) and small, local races (B&A Trail in Annapolis), but I love races between 1,500 and 4,000 - they have enough people to keep you motivated and you're never running alone, but the numbers are not massive and unwieldy.

The weather was perfect - 33 degrees at the 8 a.m. start. The course is awesome - point-to-point, running through several small towns. There were many spectators along the course.

I had a tough day - I got dehydrated and really struggled to finish.

All in all, I can't wait until 2010 to run this again!

I just ran the '09 Steamtown Marathon. As advertised, it was downhill at the beginning and flat the rest of the way until that final single hill to the finish (oy!). Most parts were just running on local streets in small-town, rural Pennsylvania. Spectators did turn out and cheer. There were a few gorgeous stretches in parks and trails with foliage, soft ground, and nothing but nature, runners, and the glory of the event. I wish there were far more! So very well organized! Water/Gatorade stops were every two miles, and never ran out of drinks - and I should know, since I finished towards the back of the pack. I would do it again.

Once again, Steamtown delivered. The downhill didn't beat up my quads, but I was careful not to "bank" too much time. I banked five minutes (risky, I know), then lost three in the final 10K. It worked out because I BQ'd by two minutes and ran in with a huge smile on my face.

The organization was top-notch and you don't have to deal with some of the hassles involved with larger marathons. I just wish Scranton were closer; it's a haul for me!

I've run a number of marathons in the mid-Atlantic region (including Shamrock, Marine Corps, New York) and this is my favorite by far. The course is great (but trickier than some think because you can trash your quads on the downhill) and enabled me to qualify for Boston this year. The organization is the best I have ever seen. Nice touches included being able to warm up in the Forest City HS gym at the start; being supported by cheerleaders and high school bands at several points along the course; church bells ringing in Forest City; enthusiastic crowds in several of the towns (especially Carbondale)... and the list goes on. My only niggling suggestion is that it can get crowded after you cross the finish line and are in line for food. Standing in a crowd can be tough after 26.2. If they could get a bit more room and make the food line go faster, it would help. But this is minor - I'll probably come back again.